Legislators File Bill to Legalize Use of Medical Marijuana in Texas

Two Texas legislators joined on Friday, January 30, 2015 to file a bill seeking to legalize the use of medical marijuana for the treatment of epilepsy. Research indicates patients with intractable epilepsy have seen dramatic reductions in seizures through the use of CBD oil, without exhibiting adverse reactions common in prescription drugs. As filed, the Texas Compassionate Use Act would legalize medical marijuana concentrates as treatment options for patients with intractable epilepsy.

Research Indicates Afflicted Patients Have Seen Dramatic Reductions in Seizures After Using CBD Oil

Republican Senate member from Tyler and Republican House representative from Fort Worth–the two legislators who joined to file the Act–ask colleagues to balance the devastating effects of epilepsy, favorable research relating to use of medical marijuana concentrates to treat epilepsy, and personal stories from those involved.

Intractable epilepsy afflicts an estimated 149,000 people in Texas. Such patients are at a higher risk for a shortened life span, suffer hundreds of debilitating seizures per week, and are burdened with countless other mental, physical and social impairments.

Leading epileptologists and neurologists from across Texas agree with the Act, affirming that patients with intractable epilepsy who use CBD oil as a remedy have seen dramatic reductions in seizures without exhibiting adverse reactions, unlike those patients who use common prescription drugs.

Focusing on Patient Needs, Efforts to Legalize Medical Marijuana in Texas are Underway

As filed, Senate Bill 339 and House Bill 892 would regulate the growth and dispensation of cannabidiol (CBD) oil and focus on patients’ needs.While CBD oil is a component of the cannabis plant somewhat not unlike marijuana in its leafy form, CBD oil is an extract from the cannabis plant and the Texas Compassionate Use Act would require legal CBD oils to not contain more than 0.5% tetra-hydro-cannabinols (THC) and not less than 10% CBD by weight. The 0.5% limit on THC, the psychoactive component of the marijuana plant, is an insufficient amount for the patient to get ‘high,’ even if consumed in large doses.Patients with intractable epilepsy have seen dramatic reductions in seizures through the use of CBD oil without exhibiting adverse reactions, and legislative efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Texas are underway.